I’m short for words today… we’re in Chicago visiting my family this week, and I’m making a point to spend less time in front of the computer. Sometimes it’s just time to put the electronics away… to cut the habit of looking at your iphone every few minutes and relax a bit, you know?

We made this warm and cozy meal last week with one of our favorite foods – mushrooms. It’s pretty simple… creamy polenta, chickpeas and a mix of sauteéd mushrooms & tarragon. They have these fancy ones right now at Whole Foods that are amazing, and more importantly – on sale. I just loved combining the texture of the oyster mushrooms with the tiny shimejis (and a few lesser expensive cremini’s to get more bang for my mushroom buck).

Topped these with just a bit of asiago cheese and popped them under the broiler for just a few minutes. A warm yet bright meal… pretty much the opposite of what it looks like outside the window here right now. Brr.

Add the sherry vinegar, stir, and let cook for 30 seconds or a minute longer.

Remove from heat, stir in tarragon and chives. Taste and adjust seasonings.

(A very optional step - make a quick pan sauce by pouring a glug of white wine into the still-warm pan the mushrooms cooked in. Let it bubble up and cook off for a few seconds and add a little pat of butter. Stir that into the finished mushrooms or pour over the final dish)

Scoop the polenta into ramekins and top with the mushrooms & chickpeas.

optional step - top with a little bit more grated cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes until bubbly.

Notes

Feel free to serve in bowls or plates, the individual cocottes are cute but not completely necessary.

A note about polenta - I used the Bob's Red Mill brand but I ground it in a coffee grinder to make the polenta more smooth and less course. If you use it right out of the bag, it's a little grittier... which is still fine and tasty if you're after that texture.

Add the sherry vinegar, stir, and let cook for 30 seconds or a minute longer.

Remove from heat, stir in tarragon and chives. Taste and adjust seasonings.

(A very optional step - make a quick pan sauce by pouring a glug of white wine into the still-warm pan the mushrooms cooked in. Let it bubble up and cook off for a few seconds and add a little pat of butter. Stir that into the finished mushrooms or pour over the final dish)

Scoop the polenta into ramekins and top with the mushrooms & chickpeas.

optional step - top with a little bit more grated cheese and place under the broiler for a few minutes until bubbly.

Notes

Feel free to serve in bowls or plates, the individual cocottes are cute but not completely necessary.

A note about polenta - I used the Bob's Red Mill brand but I ground it in a coffee grinder to make the polenta more smooth and less course. If you use it right out of the bag, it's a little grittier... which is still fine and tasty if you're after that texture.

Looks good, but I’m confused by the recipe. When do you add the mushrooms to the polenta? Did you bake the combined polenta-and-mushrooms in the mini Staub pots — or did you just use them as bowls to serve?

I just updated the recipe to include the steps I left out… I put them in the mini pots just to serve, but I did pop them under the broiler for a few minutes at the very end (which is optional). You could serve this on plates just as easily.

Gorgeous – perfectly hearty for this time of year. I wish Alberta had Whole Foods. No idea where I’d find mushrooms like those here. Your photos, as always, are outstanding. Please, please, please do a post about how you shoot such clear, light shots! Especially at dinner time when it is dark out.. well, it is up here!

This recipe could be the introduction to introduce my in-laws (Russian) to wild mushroom and polenta. They once told me that they did not like polenta, but I am pretty sure that your recipe can win them over. 🙂

I just made this and it was delicious!! Lazy person question: the handful of times I’ve made polenta, I’ve only cooked it about five minutes (once it turns thick), and while I cooked mine for about 20 for this recipe, it seemed pretty much the same texture. Should there be a discernible difference in the texture when it’s cooked 20-30 minutes? Either way, thank you for the recipe; it was scrumptious and I will definitely make it again!

This was so good! I didn’t have tarragon so I made a herb mixture of thyme, oregano, and sage from my yard to the mushrooms instead. The ingredients list said shallot so I minced that up but then couldn’t find where in the mushroom directions to add that so I just sauteed it for a couple of mins first thing. Thanks for the yummy meal!

Hi. This looks amazing. I’m using your recipe as my first attempt at cooking polenta. Question though.. do you simmer the polenta once adding to the boiled water? I’m assuming yes, but since I’ve never made this, I thought I should ask. The instructions state add polenta to boiling water and continue to cook for 20-30 minutes.. just not sure at what temp. Thanks for the inspiration here!

I loved!! Thanks so much for your quick reply 🙂 One other thing I was wondering is when to add the shallot. It is listed under ingredients, but the instructions have no mention of it. I added it when I put the mushrooms in. Whatever way it turned out delicious!!

Hi, I was trying to figure out how I could make my polenta creamy without adding a lot of olive oil/butter, and I came across your recipe. I used an Italian polenta and used your suggestion of grinding it in a Vitamix which I think helped, but there were some problems::
1.A “few teaspoons of salt” is far too much. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons and it was salty enough.
2. The classic way to make polenta is by adding it to lukewarm water to avoid lumps. I tried your instructions to add it to boiling water, and it was full of lumps. I used a whisk, and tried really hard, but I couldn’t get them all out; the only thing that helped was the back of a wooden spoon. I also had to add about a half cup more of water.
3, The polenta itself was only enough for 3 people. The quantities you mention might be good for small individual pots, but not if you use the kind of soup bowl that I used. I’d start with 1 1/2 cups of polenta and add another 1 1/2 cups of water. I served it differently – the polenta in the center of a large flat-bottomed soup bowl with the sauteed mushrooms on top, a slice of goat feta, 3 thickish slices of fresh yummy tomatoes, and green beans (sauteed in the same frying pan as the mushrooms around the bowl. It was lovely and we cleaned our plates!

Hi Megan, I’m not sure this one is the best make-ahead option – the polenta won’t be as creamy, it’ll harden and become a little more gelatinous in the fridge for 24 hours (ie, it’s how you make polenta fries after it firms up).

Loved this! I did the extra step of making a wine/butter addition to the mushrooms and thickened into a sauce. Poured it over the polenta like gravy over mashed potatoes. Its in my recipe book for many future meals. Thanks!

This looks so amazing, I love polenta and because I have been more on the vegetarian and the vegan part lately , I wanted to eat polenta without cheese and this is the perfect option! Thank you for sharing it! I love your blog theme it is so clear and beautiful! Just up from my street! http://www.georgyana.me